89 N.J. home improvement contractors cited for violations

The state Attorney General's Office has cited 89 home improvement contractors during the past three months, authorities said Tuesday. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

TRENTON -- The state cited 89 home improvement contractors during the past three months for everything from failing to register and carry proper insurance to not completing the work they had agreed to perform, consumer officials said Tuesday.

Forty firms were cited for doing work without a registration, and authorities said the majority of those companies were also the subject of consumer complaints. They have been ordered to pay consumer restitution from $200 to $35,905.

Of the 49 registered contractors cited, 23 were the subject of consumer complaints and were ordered to pay restitution from $2,250 to $25,900, authorities said. The remaining 29 firms were cited for administrative violations.

So far this year, the state Division of Consumer Affairs has issued violations to 120 contractors seeking more than $1 million in restitution and penalties.

"Hiring a fraudulent or unregistered contractor could easily end up costing a consumer thousands of dollars, and a lot of wasted time and energy," Steve Lee, acting director of the division, said in a statement.

The state receives more complaints about home improvement contractors each year than any other business. The division received 1,253 complaints about home improvement contractors in 2014, and has received 628 so far this year.